Vertical speed in trail running: what it is and how to improve it
Metres of climb per hour are the key mountain metric. What vertical speed is, rough values and how to train it.
In the mountains, pace per kilometre says little. What really counts on a climb is how many metres of elevation you gain per hour: vertical speed, also known as VAM.
How it's calculated
Metres of climbing divided by climbing time, in hours. If you climb 600 metres in 45 minutes, your vertical speed is 800 m/h.
Rough values
- 400 to 600 m/h: hiking pace or long ultra pace.
- 700 to 1,000 m/h: a good amateur level in a race.
- Above 1,200 m/h: a very high level on sustained climbs.
Gradient changes the numbers a lot: on gentle slopes it's hard to gain metres fast.
And downhill
Downhill vertical speed measures how much elevation you lose per hour. It depends heavily on technique and confidence, and in long races it makes big differences.
How to improve it
- Long hills at threshold effort.
- Leg strength, especially step-ups and lunges.
- Practising power hiking on steep ramps.
Traincontrol measures your uphill and downhill vertical speed from the climbs in your own workouts.